Journalism as profession helping women in conflict to move beyond victimhood discourse: A case study of Kashmir

Introduction

For the last three decades, Kashmir regarding which a Mughal Emperor Jahangir in the 17th century said in Persian, “Agar Firdous Baroye zameen ast, hamee astu, hamee astu, hamee astu” (Translation: If there is a heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here) is reeling under conflict that has made it “world’s most dangerous conflict” (Ehl, 2019). The decades-old conflict has shattered the valley socially, economically, and politically. It has affected almost every life there, with women being one of the most vulnerable victims.

The unemployment rate among the women from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is reportedly 76.5% as compared to 19.35% among men (Sharma, 2020). Female literacy rate in Jammu and Kashmir is also recorded as low as 58.01% (Shafi, 2021) and decades old turmoil in Kashmir is counted as a main reason for it. “. . . the persistence of a three-decade-long conflict in the region that has made the public sphere perpetually dangerous for women, prompting many scared parents to keep their daughters at home rather than to send them to school” (Chakraborty, 2021).

Also, Kashmir is a conservative society, where the roles of women are mostly predefined, either as the house-makers (housewives) or taking up “women-like professions” like teachers, nurses, healthcare, and childcare services. However, the endeavors of Kashmiri women outside those predefined fields are often viewed skeptically and not usually welcomed. Journalism, one of the most dangerous professions worldwide (UNESCO, 2021) is tougher in Kashmir (Rashi, 2020), more so for the women in this profession. As expressed by a female journalist from Kashmir, “In a conflict-ridden area like Kashmir, there are many challenges. Moreover, society is conservative, that doesn’t appreciate female journalists’ work. Many females don’t let even their girls go for journalism” (Respondent 1, November 2021, personal communication).

Women, being the most vulnerable, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflicts (Madzima, 2013), but they possess a unique ability to bridge seemingly insurmountable divides. Adapting to its changing character, the women of Kashmir have carved out their own place and have in many cases risen above the victimhood discourse, seeking their own ways of negotiating and coming to terms with the violence that has scarred their lives for more than three decades now. There are some women who have identified mass media and journalism as channels for venting their expressions and also voicing concerns of fellow women. It is important to study how women as participants have contributed positively despite challenges.

Aim and method

The aim of this paper is to find out how women journalists from Kashmir are breaking the trends and conservative myths of society and facing these challenging situations caused by decades-old turmoil in Kashmir. It will mainly focus on how Kashmiri women have attempted to earn their spaces as news reporters and journalists as examples work better than precepts. The prospects of women as media professionals and the challenges they experience are also being discussed.

The technique of narrative analysis, whereby the researcher interprets the stories that are told within the context of research and/or are shared in everyday life (Allen, 2017) has been adopted for this research. A professor from Boston University USA defines narrative analysis as a technique “to understand how research participants construct story and narrative from their own personal experience.” Narratives can be derived from journals, letters, conversations, autobiographies, transcripts of interviews or focus groups (Riessman, 1993). Narrative analysis involves dual layers of interpretation – firstly, the research respondents interpret their own experiences through narrative and secondly the researcher interprets the construction of that narrative. Besides, interviewing nine female journalists and a female advocate from Kashmir, secondary data that included news reports, social media accounts, interviews, books, research papers, audio, and video programs about 20 Kashmiri female journalists have also been studied and analyzed. To respect the confidentiality of the respondent journalists and wherever they wished to be anonymous, their identifying information has been masked. The inductive method for narrative analysis was adopted, while the individual narratives were split into smaller pieces and thematically grouped.

Why need for women journalists in Kashmir

Women in Kashmir has been equal sufferer and victim of violence physically, sexually, and psychologically for more than 30 years of conflict. Though there is not much data compiled on this, but as per a news report by a national news agency, “More than two rape or molestation cases have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir per day over the last 24 years of conflict but the conviction rate in these cases during the period has been a dismal 3.26 per cent” (Press Trust of India, 2013). This has even been admitted by UN Special Representative Margot Wallstrom when she said “It has become such a way of life in some conflict zones like Kashmir that many victims are simply too afraid to report it and you can understand that,” (Zargar, 2011). In many such cases, where the victims manage to transcend these fears and report the matter to the police, little or no justice is achieved as several such cases are undecided by the courts even after a decade (a female advocate, November 2021, personal communication). Rape crime has also shown an upward trend in J&K which is a cause of concern for society. (Hassan, 2016a). The incidents like 1991 Kunan Poshpora incident where reportedly 40 women were raped in twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora (Legal Correspondent, The Hindu, 2016), 2009 Shopian rape and murder case when the dead bodies of two women (raped and murdered) were found (BBC, 2009) and 2018 Kathua rape and murder incident of an 8-year old girl (Hassan, 2019) are some heart-trenching, that indicates that women perspective of news is critical.

Research also indicates that women of Kashmir suffer from PTSD and other psychological anxieties (Siddiqui, 2006). A multiple-district study conducted in Kashmir estimated the prevalence of mental distress among adults as 45%, with 41% with probable depression, 26% with probable anxiety, and 19% with probable PTSD. These disorders were strongly found associated with females, having had no formal education, living in a rural area, and being widowed/divorced or separated (Housen et al., 2017). It makes it more crucial to have female voices in the media in Kashmir. “Being a woman journalist has it’s pros and cons here (in Kashmir). There are some gender-sensitive stories where a female journalist can have an easy access than male journalists” (Respondent 2, November 2021, personal communication).

Kashmiri women journalists: braving the odds

As per a female photojournalist from Kashmir, females face restrictions when they choose journalism as a career as the society is patriarchal and conservative (Saima Majid, Nov. 20, 2021, personal communication), but these women strive hard to bring a positive change, and change the perception of people by presenting their own narrative (Nabi, 2018). Regarding the risks associated with journalism in Kashmir, the below narratives paint a clear picture.

While talking about the struggle of women journalists from Kashmir, Aasiya Jeelani (1974–2004) deserve a mention who lost her life in a mine blast while returning from an election voting site in Kupwara (North Kashmir) (Tak, 2019). She had the experience of working with Agence France-Presse (AFP), and Times of India. She had not only challenged the odds to vent into this profession but also voiced the concerns of other female victims from the valley, being a member of Kashmiri Women’s Initiative for Peace and Disarmament (KWIPD) and reported for Informative Missive, a monthly newsletter of Public Commission on Human Rights. She had also started a newsletter magazine dedicated to the women of Kashmir in conflict “Voices Unheard” that she edited till her last breath.

In Kashmir, there have been multiple incidents when female photojournalists faced vilification in cyberspace for the work related to their profession (Gupta, 2018). This could be understood by the example of Masrat Zahra, a young female journalist from Kashmir, who won the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award from International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) in September 2020. Through her pictures and photo-essays, Masrat has portrayal several issues of Kashmir that include stories of unsung heroes during Covid-19 pandemic in Kashmir, scenic beauty of Kashmir, human rights violations in Kashmir and conflict, presenting the female perspectives of the event. As part of her professional assignments, Zahra has been capturing pictures of the protests and encounters in Kashmir. She faced severe cyberbullying as one picture showing Masrat near an encounter site with army personnel around was circulated on social media with the caption “Mukhbir,” meaning “spy.” While Masrat described this as “shameful and depressing” (Sharma, 2018), this incident speaks about the risks associated with covering the conflicts that endanger the security of a journalist.

The 26-year-old photojournalist was awarded for courageous and ethical journalism for telling stories of the women of Kashmir (IWMF, 2020). She also has Pater Mackler Award to her credit (Ali, 2021). In one of her social media posts, Masrat dedicated her award to her fellow journalists of Kashmir, especially women reporters and photographers (Zahra, 2020). Masrat couldn’t be contacted for this study as according to news reports, Masrat has shifted to Hamburg (Germany) as a “politically persecuted” person, after she was booked under the anti-terrorism law (Naqash, 2021) and her father was injured in an alleged attack in Srinagar (Ali, 2021). Masarat tasted the brunt of the law when she was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for the posts that she uploaded on her Facebook account (Ganai, 2020), indicating the risk involved in this profession in a conflict.

On such experiences, a mid-career female journalist expressed her views as “The community you live in and deal with, too, can sometimes frame a narration that is well beyond your apprehension and could attribute you to something that is alien to you. Under such circumstances, you have to respond very maturely. Here you have to be in sync with both the administration and community while ensuring no compromise with the ethical standards of journalism” (Respondent 6, December 9, 2021, personal communication). Rifat Mohidin, another kashmiri woman journalist had also a terrifying experience while on duty when some personnel rained batons on her car when she was inside and abused her (National Herald, 2019). While shooting during a curfew, Sanna Mattoo (a Kashmiri female photojournalist) was stopped from shooting (Mattoo, 2018). A study conducted at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Islamic University of Science and Technology under the author’s supervision revealed that 51% and 35% of female journalists consider journalism in Kashmir challenging and very challenging (respectively). Not a single respondent female journalist considers reporting in Kashmir less challenging (Fatima and Hassan, 2018)

The job of a journalist demands extensive travel and many female journalists express fears related to it. “First of all, working in a conflict zone like Kashmir means returning home before dusk. Being a female reporter, security is a big concern, and travel to far-off places is not considered safe. Either a colleague or a family member often accompanies us.,” concerns expressed by a female journalist from Budgam district (Central Kashmir) presently working with a local English newspaper (Respondent 6, November 11, 2021, personal communication).

Similar expressions were echoed by other respondents of the study. Talking on this, a journalist from district Pulwama (South Kashmir) revealed that “reporting conflict sometimes scares. You feel vulnerable while passing through the roads, packed with forces and the pairs of eyes following you skeptically scares” (Respondent 8, October 28, 2021, personal communication). The journalists interviewed for the study who are covering conflict, encounters, and elections poses extraordinary challenges to them, especially when they have to travel alone or are in minority. Being a documentary photographer, my stories demand more time for trust building before but often as a female I won’t prefer to travel alone for stories in sensitive regions as there is always a risk (Respondent 6, November 4, 2021, personal communication).

Workplace and field harassment emerge as another challenge for female media mavens as 41% female journalists in Kashmir have faced gender discrimination in this field and about 70% have experienced some form of harassment. With no sufficient mechanism to address such issues, 57% of the journalists said they just ignored such incidents of harassment, while 15% expressed themselves by angry looks and only 38% confronted that discrimination (Fatima and Hassan, 2018). While sharing their experiences, these women often felt it difficult to get their concerns heard and addressed. A senior reporter from Kashmir substantiated this. “A female reporter has to prove her worth every time. Her belief in gender equality remains limited to her own self only.” As a news editor for 11 years, the respondent journalist had been able to earn a supportive work environment, however, she believes that such support is not available to many female journalists in Kashmir. (Respondent 3 (news editor), November 16, 2021, personal communication).

Female journalists in Kashmir also experience challenges for cultivating sources. The biggest challenge any female reporter faces in a place like Kashmir is the challenge of having a source. If you are a male reporter, speaking to your source means cultivating a source but when it is a female reporter it raises many eyebrows and people including your colleagues from the same profession talk bad about it. (Respondent 3, November 21, 2021, personal communication). Speaking about her experiences in managing the interview of a political figure in Kashmir that this reporter managed to get when many of her male colleagues failed to get the same, she faced vilification from her colleagues to the extent that she stopped taking such assignments in the future.

Many of these female journalists have taken up this profession with the aim to get their and other women’s voices heard. They want to move beyond the victimhood discourse and vouch for the justice to women and other sections of the society. However, during this journey of expression and communication they often experience discouragement by the society, sometimes by the family itself. This is how a female journalist from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district put it “Start doing something productive for your life other than wandering door-to-door, this is how my brother murmurs every time I have to move out to meet some source or visit a story” (Respondent 6, December 19, 2021, personal communication,). By the word “door-to-door,” the sibling of the journalist refers to the job of collecting the information from multiple sources.

How journalism helped these professionals to move beyond victimhood discourse

As revealed by the scientific researches, one of the main dimensions of victimhood discourse is “lack of empathy for the pain and sufferings of others” and “frequently ruminate about victimization” (Koufman, 2020). However, the interviews of the female journalists revealed that they no longer consider journalism a platform to talk about self-victimization but use this platform as a medium of empowerment. Reviewing feminist literature, Shah (2011) concluded that while women empowerment aims to improve living quality of women, it also challenges the patriarchal inequality for their long-term transformation (Shah, 2011), and the female journalists from Kashmir have adopted this model of empowerment to move beyond the victimhood discourse.

Though this profession has posed many challenges to female journalists across the globe (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2020), especially for those working in Kashmir, they have emerged as active participants and communicators. Though much is not documented about them, but their contributions have inspired many women from Kashmir to explore journalism and mass communication as a preferred career choice. “I choose journalism as my career because of my aunt who too is a journalist. Her confidence and understanding of socio-political issues is extraordinary. I feel this profession gives you the courage and wisdom to speak for yourself and for others” expressions of a trainee journalist presently working with a local English daily” (a journalism intern, January 6, 2021, personal communication).

As per a senior broadcast journalist and former producer with BBC, Nayeema Mehjoor, the problems for the women in journalism are many and she has faced all challenges with determination and willpower (Bashir, 2010). A known name in journalism, she has had an outstanding stint first locally in Radio Kashmir and then internationally at BBC Urdu Service (Hassan, 2016b). In her publication, Lost in Terror she documented women’s perspective of the Kashmir conflict, where she discusses the issues like troubled marriage, sexual violence, dress and behavior codes, and childbirth in Kashmir (Mahjoor, 2016).

“Journalism for me has never been about gender but always as an aspiration to unearth what is not reported, to interact with people and know their stories. But, being a female sometimes people around you don’t accept you with the challenges of this profession. However, we are proud to be associated with this profession” (Respondent 5, November 2021, personal communication).

In his article, Dr. Breazeale discussed that narrating one’s traumatic experiences brings relief and control. It improves mood and brings a positive outlook (Breazeale, 2011). The similar expressions were shared by the female journalists who consider “story-telling,” a relieving part of their duties. Narrating a similar experience, a young female photojournalist from Bandipora district of North Kashmir presently working as a freelancer with multiple national media organizations said, “When I go out to listen to the stories of my people, I feel more connected to our collective cause and concern as a female. It has been a great way to channelize my various emotions into my work.” As concluded by Koufman (2020), victimhood can cause a “lack of empathy for others,” but the interviews conducted for the study revealed that the journalists no more ruminate about victimization, but aim to present “other” perspectives of the circumstances. “My work being more women-centric, helped me to understand the struggle of Kashmir through the gaze of women. Providing space to the female narrative has helped me to fill the gaps as previously Kashmir was represented through the gaze of male journalists only” (Respondent 2, November 4, 2021, direct message to author).

Many female journalists relate to their respondents’ stories and consider journalism as an encouraging profession. Like one journalist from Central Kashmir said “by highlighting issues of other people, I get to know about the solutions of my problems as well” (Respondent 5, November 25, 2021, personal communication). They believe that this profession has enhanced their confidence and helped them to develop professional wisdom. “Being in the field gave me a chance to get to know people with varying backgrounds and opinions. Not only that, one gets to see and know how people have been living and braving all the odds to keep themselves motivated to be an inspiration for others. It is of quite an interest to learn how people changed themselves to achieve their goals and turn their fortunes” (Respondent 9, November 16, 2021, personal communication).

The women from the field are contented with their visibility in journalism arena. As per them, female journalists are privileged as they are “more sensitive” in perceiving the emotions of the people and people feel more comfortable in sharing their experiences and struggles with them. “This profession has really empowered me. Female journalists have a better level of empathy to understand, people often tend open more to them. Sometimes, your sources rely on you with their long tales of agony and pain with a trust that you will be their voice.” Responding to the question of victimization, the journalist said “So far victimhood is concerned, when you know what you are doing is fair and unbiased you rise above patriarchy and misogyny. You are a professional irrespective of gender” (Respondent 7 (female journalist working with vernacular language newspaper), November 11, 2021, personal communication).

Many of these journalists are the only female employees of the media organizations they work for and most of them consider it as a privilege, rather than a weakness. “I have never felt victim while working in the field. . . I always take tough challenges and prove my abilities in a place dominated by men. I am the only female staffer among nine in my organization. This field has given me the courage to speak for myself and for the people, who cannot speak for themselves” (Respondent 3, November 16, 2021, personal communication). “I think this profession gives wings to some lucky people who inturn gets the responsibility for speaking up for others, bringing facts on ground. There have been times when I have fought with my editors for my stories, which most of my colleagues desisted and fortunately the editors accepted my concerns, this too gives confidence” (Female news editor, November, 11 2021, personal communication). These narratives reveal that these women journalists have accepted the challenges of the profession with courage and confidence and are emerging stronger despite troubles.

While photojournalism as a career is considered to be a tough choice for the skilled women across the globe (Molitor, 2018), several trained women from the valley have adopted this profession breaking another illusion and capturing the scenes unseen by their male counterparts. Masrat Zahra, Sehar Qazi, Ufaq Fatima, Sanna Irshad, Umaira Hassan, Furkan Khan, Tuba Nasiem, Durdana Bhat, and Mehreen Alam are some women photojournalists from Kashmir, mostly in their 20s or early 30s who have not only earned their names in the field of photojournalism but are also portraying the picture of conflict through a different and much-required perspective (Maqbool, 2018), (Maqbool, 2016).

Like them, there are scores of women journalists who are attempting to earn their spaces in the field of journalism. The percentage of women in newspaper organizations in Kashmir has gone up as they seem to be quite enthusiastic about pursuing communication jobs and are more likely to have found full-time employment than as part-time. They are not adopting this profession as a career only but also to come out of the depressing situation and prove their competence amid challenges.

Conclusion

Among many other professions worldwide, Journalism is considered as one of the most dangerous jobs (Kibaba, 2019) with more challenges in a conflict zone like Kashmir (Hussain, 2018). Besides costing lives, a conflict also influences the personality of individuals, with women being the most affected. However, there are some exemplary women from Kashmir who have adopted this tough career to challenge stereotypic myths of the conservative society and move beyond the victimhood discourse. Kashmir being a conflict zone has posed many serious challenges to these women journalists, but this profession has also enhanced their confidence and empowered them.

These women have experienced threats of life, security, and dignity, besides experiencing psychological trauma while representing women’s perspectives of the conflict. However, instead of talking about victimization only (the main narrative during any conflict (Mesquita, 2017)), they have highlighted multiple facets of society and emerged as strong agents of change. Be it news reporting, or photojournalism, women from the valley have been able to gain recognition and earn their spaces. Though in some sections like media education and research, they have attained equality, but in news reporting, the picture is yet not so encouraging.

For most of these female journalists from Kashmir, media is not only a medium of message transmission but a medium that could be used to bring forth their issues, vent their expressions and come out of the distressing and trouble-torn circumstances. These women reporters are reporting not only conflict, but the experiences of ordinary women living through unstable times. They have written about politics, culture, half-widows and human rights violations in a unique style presenting the women perspectives. Many of them have promoted the works of other female writers and poets from the valley.

Though, the presence of women journalists in different local and national media organizations have increased in the valley but still it will be premature to say that there is a balance between distribution of work among men and women in the media sphere of Kashmir. Many of the Urdu language newspapers from the valley and national broadcast channels like Times Now, NDTV, CNN-News18 and India Today TV have no female correspondents working with them from the valley. Popular English dailies from Kashmir like Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, Kashmir Reader, Kashmir Life and Kashmir Times have only 10 women journalists working with them. Urdu dailies, on the other hand, including Aftab, Kashmir Uzma, Sangarmal don’t have any women journalists on staff (Bhat, 2016).

Most of female journalists are better educated and qualified than their male counterparts. Out of the thirty female journalists studied for this study, twenty-eight had a professional degree in journalism, mass communication, media studies or allied areas. Yet, they reported that they are restricted by stereotypical beats, and not allowed to work on the “tougher” beats and face more job insecurity, slightly lower wages than their male counterparts. Most of the respondent believes a mass awareness and end of stereotyping regarding the females in this field can change this scenario for better.